Camp Dads Charter

This charter sets out what Camp Dads is, how it runs, and what the three founders agree to. It is a working agreement between friends, not a legal document.

1. Purpose and Mission

Mission. Camp Dads is a brotherhood of men committed to becoming better fathers, better partners, and better leaders, forged through real adventure and real fellowship with men who refuse to coast through fatherhood.

What we're about. Fellowship and fun, with a purpose.

How it started. Camp Dads was born at a campout, when Ted Lyon looked around the fire and said, "This is a great group of guys, we should get together outside of scouts without the kids so we can talk about adult things." Dominic Wade said, "This is fun, but we can do more." Allen McGhan said, "Let's start a movement that changes the world!" Ted and Dominic rolled their eyes, but by the next morning everyone had agreed to the mission statement.

Why it exists. Dads carry a lot and rarely get a place of their own. Camp Dads gives them fellowship with other dads and help with the job many of us chose Scouting for: giving our kids artificial adversity and a safe place to fail. We push our kids, and we catch them.

How it helps. Everything Camp Dads does stands on three legs:

The test for every idea: does it make a dad better at home, or open a door for a kid? If it does neither, it can wait.

2. Principles

1. Faith welcome, never required. We respect every man's faith, or lack of it, and we leave room at the fire for all of it.
2. Character. We show up, tell the truth, and lead at home first.
3. Service. We leave people and places better than we found them.
4. Adventure. We do hard things on purpose, together, and we give our kids the same: artificial adversity and a safe place to fail.
5. No coasting. Everybody is welcome. Coasting isn't.

3. Membership

• Who can join: mainly current, past, and future dads in Scouting, plus any dad or father figure (stepdad, grandfather, uncle, mentor) they sponsor who fits the group, of any faith or none, from any walk of life.
• Adults and kids. Monthly Campfires and the annual trip are for adults, 21 and up wherever alcohol is served. Members' kids are welcome at family get-togethers (section 4).
• How to join: any member can invite and sponsor anyone, as long as he is a dad or father figure and fits the group. The member who invites him is his sponsor.
• Getting to know you: each new member fills out the one-page Getting to Know You form. Only his chapter's Senior Patrol Leader keeps it, and it is shredded or deleted if he leaves.
• No dues. Members split the real cost of what they attend. Nothing else is required.
• Leaving: anyone can step away at any time, no explanation needed.

4. How Chapters Work

A chapter is run like a troop: a regional group of dads drawn from several packs, troops, teams, and schools. It splits into patrols of 5 to 8 dads. A patrol can cross units, or it can be a single pack plus a friend from outside Scouting who just wants to help or hang out.

• Rhythm: one adults-only Campfire a month, family get-togethers whenever a member hosts one, one bigger adults trip a year, and a group chat in between. A patrol can meet on its own between Campfires.
• Starting a chapter: three dads, one fire, and the Chapter Starter Kit. A new chapter does not need the founders' permission, only a heads-up to the founders so it can be listed on thecampdads.org.
• Staying connected: the founders check in with each chapter's Senior Patrol Leader once a quarter.
• Using the name: a chapter uses the Camp Dads name and Brand Kit as long as it follows this charter.

Three positions, no more. Each rotates every 6 to 12 months, and nobody serves more than two terms in a row.

The annual trip gets a volunteer trip lead for that trip only. No standing role is needed.

Where we meet

Anywhere works: a backyard, a church hall, a park, a restaurant, or a bar.

Family get-togethers

Camp Dads also gets together with our kids for things youth programs don't allow or don't get to: boating, waterskiing and tubing, shooting, camp outs, and whatever else a member wants to host.

• Say it out loud. Every invite and every gathering opens with: "This is a Camp Dads get-together, not a Scouting event."
• Parents watch their own kids.
• Everyone signs the hold harmless agreement first: each adult for himself, and a parent for each child.

5. Founders

Allen McGhan, Dominic Wade, and Ted Lyon founded Camp Dads and act as its stewards until a formal board exists. Each owns one area.

The founders hold the Camp Dads name, domains, and brand in trust for the group. None of them uses it for personal or business gain. Camp Moms is a sister effort under the same principles, with thecampmoms.org held the same way.

6. Decisions and Changes

Proposed rules, for us to confirm:

• Day to day: each founder decides within his own area and keeps the other two informed.
• Big decisions need all three founders. That covers the mission, the principles, this charter, the name and brand, forming a legal entity, taking in or spending pooled money, and removing a chapter.
• Chapters run themselves. Chapters make their own calls on dates, places, topics, and trips, as long as they follow this charter.
• Changing this charter: any founder can propose a change in writing. It takes effect once all three agree.
• Adding stewards: once three chapters have run for a year, the founders invite chapter leaders to help steward Camp Dads, and revisit this section.

7. Money, Legal, and Risk

• Independence. Camp Dads is independent. It is not part of, sponsored by, or speaking for any youth organization, church, or other group. Public materials describe it on its own terms.
• No legal entity yet. We revisit this once three chapters have run for a year, pooled money outgrows a spreadsheet, or someone wants to fund scholarships. At that point we sit down with an attorney and a CPA.
• No pooled money. Each chapter splits its own costs. Trip deposits are tracked in a shared sheet that every trip member can see.
• Each chapter is independently organized by its members. The founders provide a free toolkit and do not organize or supervise chapter events or trips.
• Hold harmless agreement. Everyone signs it before a family get-together or trip activity: each adult for himself, and a parent for each child.
• Drivers don't drink. Whoever is driving the car or the boat stays dry. Everyone else is on his own judgment.

8. Code of Conduct

1. What is said at the fire stays at the fire. The one exception: if someone is in danger, we get help.
2. No selling. No recruiting for businesses, causes, or campaigns. Politics and religion are welcome as conversation, never as a fight or a pitch.
3. Nobody is pressured to drink. Club soda gets the same toast.
4. Treat staff and hosts like your kids are watching. Tip well, clean up, leave it better.
5. Commitments are optional. Goals and projects are welcome, never required, and never penalized.
6. When it goes wrong: if someone is hurt, call 911 first, then the Senior Patrol Leader. A member who breaks this code gets one private conversation with his Senior Patrol Leader. If it happens again, the chapter's leaders ask him to step away.

Keep your stick on the ice.